I regained consciousness in a filthy underground dungeon, littered with torture instruments, my hands and feet chained.
"Now, madam. Give us the spell and your stored mana. As we agreed," he ordered, but I laughed.
"To release my power, I need to create a magic circle and sacrifice my life. To do that, I need these chains removed," I said, raising my chained hand.
"Release her," he ordered, adding a warning, "Madam, this place has magic escape resistance; you can't escape."
Once free, I grabbed the sharpest knife and, taking a deep breath, sliced my wrist.
Blood gushed out; I quickly began drawing a magic circle, adding more blood. Even if I lost strength and died from blood loss, I had to gamble. With the circle complete, I slashed my skin deeper, letting my blood flow onto the ground.
"What are you doing! You can't die yet!" their master shouted, but I smirked as the circle activated.
"Art of Magic: Blood Sacrifice Teleportation magic," I chanted. They laughed.
"We told you it wouldn't work here," they scoffed, but my smirk remained.
"Not for what I'm about to do," I replied. The magic circle pulsed, and before I teleported, I converted it into a combustion spell, causing the dungeon to explode.
The teleportation magic brought me home—the Matilladious Dukedom—a place filled with bittersweet memories. Regret washed over me; I hadn't followed my parents' advice. I thought I understood love, but I was wrong. My husband, the valiant knight, the hero, had abandoned me. My perfect family was a nonexistent fantasy.
"Cia?" My father called, using my nickname. I slowly turned, seeing his shocked expression.
"W-Wait? Your wounds are so deep, h-how did you get here? W-Where's your husband?" He bombarded me with questions. I smiled faintly.
"He killed me," I answered before collapsing into unconsciousness.
He killed me. He intentionally delayed, gambling with his wife and children to protect his reputation, to get rid of me, or perhaps he was simply too cowardly without his entire knight order. Regardless, I died because of him.
I jolted awake in my old room in the dukedom. [Insert description of the room from her viewpoint.]
"Mom? Dad?" I called, trying to stand, but my legs refused to cooperate. My throat was parched; my body felt utterly weak.
"What's happening to me?" I asked, watching the door open.
"Cia? My child! You're finally awake!" My mother rushed to me, tears streaming down her face, embracing me.
"Mom, what happened? Why can't I walk?" I asked.
"Your leg wounds were too deep, and you were in a coma for half a year," she explained. The shock paralyzed me; I looked around wildly.
"Dana and Josh? Where are they? Mathias and Jas..." I trailed off, noticing the screen beside me hadn't disappeared. I stumbled back, speechless.
'Mission: get pregnant.'
"Dana and Josh are with Mathias and Jasmine. We couldn't fight the law; we couldn't get the children back. Mathias, after Jasmine divorced the Marquis, married him as a..." My mother hesitated, unable to finish.
"Second wife? And he declared his wife dead?" I asked. She couldn't meet my gaze.
"Cia, we didn't want you to divorce Mathias, but we hid you to protect you. Your body was filled with a black aura, indicating you performed high-level forbidden black magic. If we'd brought you out, they would have known, and considering your husband's betrayal, he might have let you die," Mom explained. I laughed hysterically, tears and despair overwhelming me. I ran a hand through my hair.
I stared blankly, tears flowing freely. "M-Mom, you know what kind of forbidden magic I performed? It's Blood Sacrifice magic, allowing someone without mana to perform magic. And I did it multiple times, bathing in blood to cast spells," I explained, terrified of my mother's reaction. My siblings and father stood silently in the doorway.
"What?"—Sister Lilliete
"Hey Cia, what happened to the mage I knew? Why did you reach this point?"—Brother George
"I violated the rules of magic; I invented a spell that shouldn't exist," I whispered, my eyes dull.
"Mages should be upright! What did you do wrong?!" Father shouted, but Mother silenced him.
"Art of Magic: Life Restoration," I replied, unable to deny the illusion of the family I'd built, all for love.
"I miscarried. My twins were gone. To prevent Mathias from being hurt if he came home, I used my mana to bring them back to life. I thought we would be a happy family when he returned, but he brought a woman just a few days later and chose her, leaving us to fend for ourselves," I revealed the truth. I knew why Mom couldn't answer before; I was so foolish.
A hard slap landed on my cheek. "You're crazy! You're out of your mind to sacrifice your life for that useless man! What did you see in him?!" Dad shouted, stressed by what I'd done.
"He's a hero, Dad! A good general, a good man, someone everyone admires. I thought he'd be a good husband. Maybe he is, but not for me," I replied.
My sister approached and took my hand. "I never imagined that in your search for the true meaning of love, you would commit such a grave sin against yourself," she said.
"Cia, love isn't about one person clinging to it; it's a give-and-take situation. If you're the only one holding on, it's not love anymore," my brother added.
It took several days for my leg to recover, and I was submerged in healing potions before I fully recovered and the black aura disappeared from my body. Once I was healed, I tried to return to our mansion to get my children.
Dana and Josh are my children. They're only mine, so I have the right to take them.
"Gracia?" Jasmine seemed startled when she saw me. She was wearing the emerald ring I'd thrown away and playing with the children.
"No. You should be dead," she said, approaching me.
"Didn't you expect this? I have so many ways to live, and it doesn't include letting the cheater be happy," I replied, moving towards my children, but Dana hid behind Jasmine.
"Mommy, who is she?" Josh asked. I glared at Jasmine and couldn't help but choke her.
"I know your lies, Jasmine. What did you do to my children, you idiot!" I shouted, tightening my grip. My children pushed me away from Jasmine.
"T-They're traumatized from what happened. So, I'm pretending to be their mommy so they won't be sad," she explained, but I'd learned my lesson and wouldn't fall for their tricks again.
"Please, Gracia. I'm pregnant; it'll be bad for the baby," she added, so I released her.
"Jasmine!" I heard Mathias shout as he arrived, embracing Jasmine.
"I've only been gone for half a year; things move fast. You're already building a home with your second wife. I thought you were too busy to even send a letter, let alone visit?" I teased.
"Gracia, please, not here!"
"Mathias! If you didn't love me, you shouldn't have approached me, asked for my hand! You shouldn't have promised and lied! I never forced you to love me; I understood even when you cheated on me right in front of me!" I shouted, turning to Jasmine.
"You know you're a homewrecker! Eight months ago, you were the one going crazy in the city plaza, but you're so good at switching positions. After a few months, you got my children too!" I yelled. Mathias suddenly approached and choked me.
"Gracia, stop it. You're dead! Jasmine and I got married while you were gone, so we're not at fault. As for the children, according to the law, even if we divorce, they'll be mine because I'm the father!" he shouted. I pushed his hand away and shoved him roughly.
"You have no place in this house, Mathias Riverlilies! The only contribution you made to this family was your last name! Everything here is mine, including my children. You have NO CLAIM!" I retorted, my voice filled with anger.